{"product_id":"grand-vintage-dutch-valk-sailing-model-1970s","title":"Grand Vintage Dutch “Valk” Sailing Model, 1970s","description":"\u003ch2\u003eFull Sail Ahead\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo sea required. \u003cem\u003eNo captain either.\u003c\/em\u003e Just a room in desperate need of a main character!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeet our \u003cstrong\u003egrand sailing model\u003c\/strong\u003e, all 1.60 metres of her in height \u003cem\u003e(yes, really)\u003c\/em\u003e. She stands tall on her wooden cradle with her sail hoisted and her chin up, like she's waiting for a gust of wind. Her hull is a deep, glossy, honey-brown varnish, trimmed with pale wooden rails and finished with a crisp white waterline. Below, a slender keel and a sturdy wooden rudder are ready to steer her straight into your living room. She's not a toy. \u003cem\u003eShe's a sculpture.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Falcon Among Boats\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eEvery Dutch sailor knows her silhouette. \u003cstrong\u003eThis is a Valk\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eDutch for falcon\u003c\/em\u003e, one of the Netherlands' most beloved sailing classes. The Valk was designed in 1939 by the legendary Ricus van de Stadt, originally to show off a daring new material called \u003cem\u003emarine plywood (who knew a sales pitch could become a national icon?)\u003c\/em\u003e. The full-size boats are still racing across Dutch lakes today. Our model was built in the Netherlands in the 1970s and scaled down with real devotion, \u003cem\u003edown to the very last detail.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDressed to Sail\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eAnd then there's the sail. Stitched panel by panel, it wears its years like \u003cem\u003ea well-loved shirt:\u003c\/em\u003e a little faded, a little crumpled in all the right places. The class's famous black falcon swoops across the canvas, and if you look closely, you'll spot the ghosts of old sail numbers drifting beneath it. She also comes with her \u003cem\u003efok\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003ethe jib, for our English-speaking sailors),\u003c\/em\u003e the little front sail that wasn't in the mood for her photoshoot. Hoist it, and she's in full regatta dress. Leave it off, and she's the picture of breezy minimalism. Your boat, \u003cem\u003eyour call.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhere She'll Shine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003ePut her in a beach house \u003cem\u003e(obviously)\u003c\/em\u003e, where she'll feel right at home among the salty air and bare feet. Or let her bring a breath of open water to a city loft, somewhere between the concrete and the coffee table. In a study or library she'll happily anchor beside a leather armchair, inspiring daydreams about all the regattas \u003cem\u003eyou never quite entered\u003c\/em\u003e. And at this scale, in a shop window or hotel lobby, she's a true showstopper that nobody can walk past!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHand-built,\u003c\/strong\u003e beautifully weathered, and with half a century of character in her stitches, she's proof that the best decorations have stories to tell.\u003cem\u003e Voilà, your very own fleet of one.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReady to set sail?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wildschut Antiques","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57700544381301,"sku":null,"price":580.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0843\/7930\/4236\/files\/Wildschut_Antiques_Sail_Boat_Model_Valk_Atmosphere_Web_Def-a.jpg?v=1793210052","url":"https:\/\/wildschut-antiques.com\/products\/grand-vintage-dutch-valk-sailing-model-1970s","provider":"Wildschut Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}